Agroforestry and climate change

Emmanuel Torquebiau FAO webinar 5 February 2013

Agroforestry: well-known buffering and resilience effects

Climate variability is well buffered by agroforestry because of permanent tree cover and varied ecological niches Resilience, or recovering after a disturbance (e.g. extreme weather events, or market failure) is well performed by agroforestry because of diversified temporal and spatial management options
Many references, e.g. Sanchez (1995), Huxley (1996), Torquebiau (1992), Garrity et al. (2010)

Examples of criteria for the sustainability attributes of agroforestry

Permanent tree cover protects and improves the soil, while increasing soil carbon stocks
Varied ecological niches allow for the presence of different crops, e.g. shade-tolerant and light-demanding

Diversification of commodities allows for adjustment to market needs

Management flexibility is compatible with shifts in labour supply

Non-harvested components play an important protective role

Todays climate change context confirms the potential of agroforestry

Climate-smart agriculture gives trees a large importance (see next slide) Conservation agriculture (no-till + cover crops) mimics the protective cover of trees (see next photo)
Sustainability attributes of agroforestry are strong assets for climate change adaptation Carbon sequestration by trees contributes to climate change mitigation

Concept of climate smart agriculture by FAO: Trees are a key component

http://www.fao.org/climatechange/climatesmart/en/

Conservation agriculture with cover crop

Conservation agriculture with trees (also called evergreen agriculture) is a form of agroforestry. Ex: Maize and Faidherbia albida, West Africa

The double potential of agroforestry to address climate change issues

Greenhouse gasmitigation strategy through carbon sequestration because of greater efficiency of integrated systems in resource (nutrients, light, and water) capture and utilization than single-species systems (Nair et al. 2009) Sustainable adjustment to changing conditions because agroforestry systems can be called perennial farming systems. They maintain and develop their root and woody biomass throughout seasons while providing food, fibre, energy and vegetative cover for soils.

Agroforestry has a high carbon sequestration potential on the long term (e.g. by the year 2040) not because it has a high carbon density (compared to forests) but because a lot of lands can potentially be turned into agroforestry

Verchot et al.

Agroforestry (humid tropics) can contain 50 to 75 Mg C ha-1, i.e. far less than forests, but much more than annual crops

Agroforestry can boost synergy between adapation to and mitigation of climate change
Mitigation of climate change mainly takes the form of carbon sequestration, e.g. biomass, either above or below ground
Adaptation to climate change is very much a function of soil organic matter content and diversified , multispecies cropping technologies Agroforestry perfoms well on the 2 above criteria and thus is a preferred approach to develop synergies between adaptation and mitigation High biodiversity and resulting ecosystem services in agroforestry also contribute to synergy between adaptation and mitigation Agroforestry improved fallows (see next slide) provide an example of such synergy

In agroforestry fallows with Sesbania sesban, decreased soil bulk density and improved water inflitration explain better early growth of the subsequent crop. Tree roots can reach 7 m deep in 2 years and represent 1.7 to 2.9 Mg ha-1 after 2 years, i.e. about 0.6 to 1 Mg C ha-1

Torquebiau and Kwesiga, 1996

Agroforestry is a landscape-scale approach, thus favours synergy between adaptation and mitigation

A typical agroforestry landscape in Haiti (Photo R. Torquebiau)

Torquebiau, 2000

Different categories of agroforestry have different climate change adaptation or mitigation potential (adapted from Torquebiau, 2000)

Increased adaptation + mitigation synergy

Increased adaptation or mitigation

Trees on farms and agricultural landscapes must be included in the climate change talks about Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+)

Global tree cover on agricultural land

46% of agricultural land have more than 10% tree cover 27% of agricultural land have more than 20% tree cover 7.5% have more than 50% tree cover (Zomer et al, 2009)

A new paradigm is required for designing climate-smart agroforestry associations

So far, agroforestry has mainly been a crop system and a tree system side by side
A new agroforestry paradigm is required where trees and crops are selected and managed together

Examples:
shade-tolerant crops adapted to particular tree species Trees and crops with non-overlapping roots Trees and crops with temporally differentiated ecological requirements (e.g. dry and wet season)

Such innovative associations will be able to address food security and climate change issues in simultaneity

Warning!
Agroforestry is not a recipe There are many possible tree / crop (and animal) associations

Some work, some dont While the presence of perrenial plants (trees / woodiness) is key towards addressing climate change problems, care should be taken to select the right tree / crop association and management practices for different places
See here: http://www.worldagroforestrycentre.org/

Useful references
Garrity, D. et al. 2010. Evergreen agriculture: a robust approach to sustainable food security in Africa. Food Sec 2: 197-214 Huxley, P. 1996. Tropical agroforestry. Blackwell Science 371 pp. Nair, P.K.R. et al. 2009. Agroforestry as a strategy for carbon sequestration. J. Plant Nutr. Soil Sci. 172: 1023 Sanchez, P.A. 1995. Science in agroforestry. Agroforestry Systems 30: 5-55 Torquebiau, E. 1992. Are tropical agroforestry homegardens sustainable? Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment 41: 189-207 Torquebiau, E. 2000. A renewed perspective on agroforestry concepts and classification. Comptes rendus de lAcadmie des Sciences / Life Sciences 323: 1009-1017 Torquebiau, E. and Kwesiga, F. 1996. Root development in a Sesbania sesban maize system in Eastern Zambia. Agroforestry Systems 34: 193-211 Verchot, L. et al. 2007. Climate change: linking adaptation and mitigation through agroforestry. Mitig Adapt Strat Glob Change 12: 901-918 Zomer, R. J., Trabucco, A., Coe, R., Place, F. (2009). Trees on Farm: Analysis of Global Extent and Geographical Patterns of Agroforestry. Nairobi: World Agroforestry Centre, ICRAF: Working Paper No 89

For French speaking readers: Torquebiau, E. 2007. Lagroforesterie: Des arbres et des champs. Paris: LHarmattan, 151 pp. (also available as e-book on http://www.editionsharmattan.fr/index.asp?navig=catalogue&obj=livre&no=23970